Ribbon inker means in zero print suppressing means

ABSTRACT

A device for eliminating the printing of zeros to the left of the highermost denominational significant digit of an amount comprising a flexible elongate strip movable endwise between the type members and printing hammers associated therewith. The strip includes an ink pervious section for transferring a visible print to a paper tape and a contiguous ink impervious section. The strip is spring moved endwise and a stop element is carried thereby to arrest against the type member registering the highermost significant digit, causing the ink impervious section to block transfer of a visible imprint of zero characters to the left of the highermost significant digit. In a modified form, the strip is moved to different positions by the pin carriage.

pervious section pe and a contiguous moved endwise and igit, causingghermost signifithe strip is moved to different 5/1964 Claryetal. 9/1964Kuhne....... 2/1967 Schenk..

impervious section to block transfer of a visible im- 3,132,5823,146,708 3,304,859 3,401,783 9/1968 Norwood......................

Primary Examiner-William B. Penn Anorney- Fred N. Schwend ABSTRACT: Adevice for eliminating the printing of zeros to the left of thehighermost denominational significant digit of an amount comprising aflexible elongate strip movable endwise between the type members andprinting hammers associated therewith. The strip includes an ink fortransferring a visible print to a paper ta ink impervious section. Thestrip is spring a stop element is carried thereby to arrest against thetype member registering the highermost significant d the ink print ofzero characters to the left of the hi cant digit. In a modified formpositions by the pin carriage.

B41j 33/24, B4lf31/18 rmnnnri lnnl John G. Clary Pasadena, Calif. 1211Appl. No. 808,863

Mar. 20,1969 Patented Jan. 5, 1971 Assignee Addmaster Corporation SanGabriel, Calif. a corporation of California SUPPRESSING MEANS 10 Claims,9 Drawing Figs.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 9/1952Schroder...................,..

United States Patent [72] lnventor [22] Filed [54] RIBBON INKER MEANS 1NZERO PRINT [50] FieldofSearch...........................................

PATENTEU JAN 5 l97l H. mil

PATENTEU JAN 515m SHEET 3 BF Ell:

RIBBON INKER MEANS IN ZERO PRINT SUPPRESSING MEANS This inventionrelates to printing devices for adding, calculating, readout machines,or the like wherein it is desirable to abling those printing elements orhammersto the left of the tion to provide a zero elimination mechanismof the above type which obviates the necessity of disabling certain ofthe printing hammers, etc., or removing certain of the type charactersfrom the printing line.

Another object is to provide a zero elimination mechanism of the abovetype which is highly reliable and yet simple and inexpensive tomanufacture.

The manner in which the above and other objects of the invention areaccomplished will be I readily understood on reference to the followingspecification when read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings,wherein:

FIG. 1 is a longitudinal sectional view through an adding machineembodying one form of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a transverse sectional view of the machine and is takensubstantially along the lines 2-2 of FIG; I.

FIG. 3 is a fragmentary plan view of a portion of the printing ribbon. Il

FIG. 4 is a side view of part of the-machine showing the means foradvancing the printing ribbon.

FIG. 5 is a sectional view through the printing ribbon magazine.

FIG. 6 is a time chart showing the operating relationship between theprinting ribbon advance mechanism and certain associated parts of themachine.

FIG. 7 is a view similar to FIG. 2, but illustrating a form of theinvention.

FIG. 8 is attransverse sectional view taken substantially along line 8-8of FIG. 7.

FIG.-9 is a sectional plan view showing another modified form of theinvention.

The present invention is disclosed as embodied in the wellknowncommercially available l key Addmaster adding machine, and for the sakeof brevity only those parts which comprise the printing and zeroeliminating mechanisms or those parts which cooperate therewitharedisclosed herein. Reference may be had to the following US. patents fora disclosure of substantially the complete adding machine:

K.F. Oldenburg et al., 3,095,143, issued on June 25, I963; R.E. Busch3,l l3,7l9, issued on Dec. 10, I963; I-I.L. Clary et all, 3,132,582,issued on May I2, 1964; and BF. Kuhne, 3,146,708, issued on Sept. 1,I964.

Describing the machine in general, an arcuate pin carriage 11 carrying aplurality of settable stop pins 12 is guided for movement transverselyof the machine on a guide rod 13 and by a slotted frame member 14.

The stop pins I2 are arranged in a plurality of vertical rows, each rowcomprising ten such pins ranging in value from zero to nine. The pinsare settable by respective ones of ten amount keys, one of which isshown at 15, suitably supported for vertical movement and connected torespective vertically aligned flexible cables 16 which are guides forendwise movement in a guide block 17.

The upper stop pins 12a, when set, enable incremental escapement of thepin carriage to the left as an incident to depression of each of theamount keys, and for this purpose, the leftmost upper pin 12a normallyrests against a fixed stop I8. When an amount key is depressed, itoperates through its respective cable 16 to set an aligned stop pin 12and at the modified same time it actuates a pivotally supporteduniversal plate 20 which rocks a bail 21 pivotally supported at 22 toset the alignedescapement pin 12a. As the escapement pin is set. atension spring, not shown, advances thepin carriage leftward oneincrement to align the next row of stop pins with a righthand printingsector 23 and with the row of flexible cables 16.

The printing sectors 23 are independently pivotally mounted on a shaft24 and during each cycle they are yieldably advanced clockwise andreturned. Each sector has a shoulder 25 adapted to limit against a setone of the pins 12 during clockwise rocking movement of the sectors.Each sector also carries type characters 26 ranging in value from zeroto nine which coact with printing hammers 27 to imprint amounts on apaper tape 28 which is guided between the sectors and the hammers. Thepaper tape is fed from a supply roll 30, over a feed roller 31 andthrough a guide chute-32. After passing underthe hammers 27, the papertape is guided upwardly between a transparent tearoff bar 33 and wallmember 34. i

The machine is motor driven through .a cyclic clutch, -not shown, and atapproximately as indicated in FIG. 6. All the hammers are impelleddownwardly by spring fingers 35 to impact those type characters 27 whichare aligned along a printing line P against the undersurface of thepaper tape 28. Thereafter, the'hammers are returned by a cam 36 whichoperates against a pivoted bail 37 underlying the various spring fingers35.

In order to render the various impacted characters visible .on the paperstrip, an inking ribbon 40 is provided, the latter being guided alongthe print line P between the sectors 23 and the hammers 27. The printingribbon comprises a printing section 41 of ink-pervious fabric or similarmaterial and a contiguous nonprinting section 42 of thin flexibleink-impervious material. The latter may be formed .of the same fabric asthe printing section but rendered nonabsorbent or impervious to ink by asuitable treatment or it may be formed of solid plastic material, suchas Mylar, bonded at 43 to the printing section 41.

The printing section 41 of the ribbon is normally wrapped around aninking core .44 of ink impregnated absorbent material, such as felt,carried by a ribbon spool 45 (see also .FIG. 5) rotatably mounted withina magazine housing 46 supported from the machine frame by a bracket 47.A spring 48 is tensioned over an arcuate flange 50 on the housing and isattached at one end to a stud 51 carried by the housing 46 and at theopposite end to a stud 52 carried by the spool 45, thereby urging thespool in a clockwise direction.

The ribbon section 42 is attached at 53 to a spool 54 rotatablysupported from the machine framework by a bracket 55. A flexible cable56 is wrapped around the spool 54 and is guided around a frame-supportedroller 57 for attachment to a cam follower 58 pivotally supported at 60and carrying a follower roller 61 engaging a cam 62 carried by a maindrive shaft 63.

lt.will be noted that each sector 23 has a shoulder 64 thereon locateddirectly adjacent the zero type character 26. Such shoulder normally,when the respective type sector registers zero, lies directly in frontof the path of a stop element '65 secured to the printing ribbon 40 atthe juncture of the printing section 41 and nonprinting section 42.

During a machine cycle and before the sectors 23 are yieldably advancedclockwise, the cam 62 causes the spool54 to draw the printing ribbon tothe left, as viewed in FIG. 2, until the stop element 65 is located tothe left of the leftmost sector 23. Thereafter, and after those sectors23 which are to register significant digits have advanced clockwise ashort distance, the cam 62 permitsspring 48 to yieldably draw theprinting ribbon to the right until the stop element 65 engages the sideof the sector whichhas advanced out of its zero registering position.

At approximately 195 in the cycle, and after the various sectors 23 havebeen differentially advanced to registering positions, all of thehammers 27 will be impelled downward and in those denominational ordersto the right of and including the sector 23 registering the highermostsignificant digit, a visible imprint will be transferred by the printingsection 41 of the printing ribbon. Since the nonprinting section 42 ofthe ribbon lies to the left of such sector containing the highermostsignificant digit, no visible imprint will be transferred even thoughzero type characters are presented in line with the hammers 27 in thoseorders to the left of the sector containing the highermost significantdigit.

After the printing operation and during counterclockwise return of thesectors toward their home positions, the shoulders 64 on the varioussectors 23 will be returned to their positions shown in FIG. 1,permitting the spring 48 to draw the ribbon to the right into itsinitial position wherein the major portion of the printing section 41will engage the core 44.

FIGS. 7 and 8 illustrate a modified form of the invention in which theprinting strip generally indicated at 66 is in the form of an elongatedendless loop. Spools 67 and 68 are rotatably supported from the machineframework 70 by brackets 71 and 72, respectively, to support the loopedends of the ribbon.

The spool 68 is formed with an ink-impregnated core 73 of felt or thelike. In this case, the strip 66 is formed of an inkpervious fabricsection 74 attached at its ends to a thin rigid plate 75 of metal orplastic, the plate having a downwardly turned car 76 which is adapted toarrest against the side of one of the sectors 23 in the same manner asdoes the stop element 65 (FIG. 2). The plate 75 is guided independentlyof the fabric printing section 74 and for this purpose, it is providedwith an elongated slot 77 (FIG. 8) which is guided over a pair of guidestuds, one of which is shown at 78 extending from the lower wall of thepaper guide chute 32.

A dustproof housing 78 extends over the spool 68 and is suitablyattached to the framework 70. A tension spring, not shown, similar tospring 48, extends between the spool 68 and housing 78 to urge the spoolcounterclockwise into its position shown in FIG. 7 so that normally theplate 75 is located between the sectors 23 and respective ones of thehammers 27. The spool 67 is rotated clockwise by a cable 86 wrappedtherearound during each cycle, the latter being actuated in the samemanner as is cable 56.

During the printing operation, the plate 75 will extend over thosesectors 23 located to the left (as viewed in FIG. 7) of the sectorcontaining the highermost significant digit so as to block printing ofzeros to the left of such digit.

FIG. 9 illustrates a modified form of the invention which isparticularly intended for use in readout or printing machines which haveno accumulating features and are thus effective to print only. In thiscase, a strip 80 is provided having a printing section 81 ofink-pervious fabric or the like which is normally wrapped over an inkingspool (not shown) similar to the spool 45 of FIGS. 2 and 5. A thinink-impervious nonprinting fabric or flexible solid section 82 issuitably attached to the left-hand end of the section 81, and, in turn,is attached at 83 to a bracket 84 rigidly secured to the pin carriage11.

The spring (not shown) for drawing the ribbon 81 to the right isconsiderably weaker than the aforementioned spring for moving the pincarriage to the left so that as the carriage is stepped to the left asan incident to setting of the stop pins 12 therein, the printing section81 of the ribbon will move over corresponding ones of the sectors 23.Accordingly, only that sector 23 which registers the highermostsignificant digit and those in lower denominational orders will have avisible imprint transmitted to the paper tape and all to the leftthereof will be blocked from printing by the nonprinting section 82.

I claim:

1. In a printing machine. the combination comprising:

a plurality of type members each having a plurality of type charactersthereon; means for setting said type members from initial positions toposition different ones of said type characters to a printing line;print impression means adjacent said printing line; an elongate stripincluding a printing section pervious to ink and a contiguousnonprinting section impervious to ink; and means for positioning saidstrip intermediate said type members and said print impression means atsaid printing line to locate said nonprinting section over those typemembers located in higher denominational orders than that denominationalorder containing the highermost denominational order significant digitand for locating said printing section over all other of said typemembers. 2. The combination according to claim 1 wherein said lastmentioned means comprises spring means for advancing said strip endwise,and means controlled by a said type member representing the highermostdenominational order of an amount for arresting said strip in positionto locate said nonprinting section over those type members located indenominational orders higher than said last mentioned order.

3. The combination according to claim 2 wherein said last mentionedmeans comprises a stop element on said strip engageable with a said typemember which has moved from its said initial position.

4. The combination according to claim 2 wherein said last mentionedmeans comprises stop means on said type members and a cooperating stopelement on said strip intermediate said printing and nonprintingsections for arresting said strip in position to locate said nonprintingsection over the type members located in denominationally higher ordersthan the order containing the type member registering the highermostsignificant digit of an amount to be printed.

5. The combination according to claim 2 wherein said strip comprises afabric including said ink-pervious section and said ink-pervioussection.

6. The combination according to claim 2 wherein said strip comprises afabric ink-pervious section and a contiguous solid ink-impervioussection.

7. The combination according to claim 2 wherein said strip comprises aflexible fabric ink-pervious section and a contiguous rigid solidink-impervious section, and means for guiding said rigid sectionindependently of said fabric section. 8. The combination according toclaim 1 wherein said first mentioned means comprises a pin carriagemovable across said type members for differentially controlling movementof said type members to different positions, and means connecting saidstrip to said pin carriage.

9. The combination according to claim 1 wherein said strip is in theform of an endless loop, and rotatable members at opposite ends of saidloop for guiding said strip endwise over said type members.

10. The combination according to claim 1 wherein said first mentionedmeans comprises cyclically operable means and said last mentioned meanscomprises means operable by said cyclically operable means prior to saidsetting of said type members for advancing said strip endwise toward aposition wherein said printing section extends over all of said typemembers and thereafter permits said spring means to move said striptoward said first mentioned position after said type members are atleast partially set.

1. In a printing machine, the combination comprising: a plurality oftype members each having a plurality of type characters thereon; meansfor setting said type members from initial positions to positiondifferent ones of said type characters to a printing line; printimpression means adjacent said printing line; an elongate stripincluding a printing section pervious to ink and a contiguousnonprinting section impervious to ink; and means for positioning saidstrip intermediate said type members and said print impression means atsaid printing line to locate said nonprinting section over those typemembers located in higher denominational orders than that denominationalorder containing the highermost denominational order significant digitand for locating said printing section over all other of said typemembers.
 2. The combination according to claim 1 wherein said lastmentioned means comprises spring means for advancing said strip endwise,and means controlled by a said type member representing the highermostdenominational order of an amount for arresting said strip in positionto locate said nonprinting section over those type members located indenominational orders higher than said last mentioned order.
 3. Thecombination according to claim 2 wherein said last mentioned meanscomprises a stop element on said strip engageable with a said typemember which has moved from its said initial position.
 4. Thecombination according to claim 2 wherein said last mentioned meanscomprises stop means on said type members and a cooperating stop elementon said strip intermediate said printing and nonprinting sections forarresting said strip in position to locate said nonprinting section overthe type members located in denominationally higher orders than theorder containing the type member registering the highermost significantdigit of an amount to be printed.
 5. The combination according to claim2 wherein said strip comprises a fabric including said ink-pervioussection and said ink-pervious section.
 6. The combination according toclaim 2 wherein said strip comprises a fabric ink-pervious section and acontiguous solid ink-impervious section.
 7. The combination according toclaim 2 wherein said strip comprises a flexible fabric ink-pervioussection and a contiguous rigid solid ink-impervious section, and meansfor guiding said rigid section independently of said fabric section. 8.The combination according to claim 1 wherein said first mentioned meanscomprises a pin carriage movable across said type members fordifferentially Controlling movement of said type members to differentpositions, and means connecting said strip to said pin carriage.
 9. Thecombination according to claim 1 wherein said strip is in the form of anendless loop, and rotatable members at opposite ends of said loop forguiding said strip endwise over said type members.
 10. The combinationaccording to claim 1 wherein said first mentioned means comprisescyclically operable means and said last mentioned means comprises meansoperable by said cyclically operable means prior to said setting of saidtype members for advancing said strip endwise toward a position whereinsaid printing section extends over all of said type members andthereafter permits said spring means to move said strip toward saidfirst mentioned position after said type members are at least partiallyset.